Essay: Use social networking to promote your business

Social Networking has develop and become well known during the past several years, but it is still very difficult for someone new to social networking. The best way to understand it is to think of it like going to a new school where you don’t have any friends. But as you begin to meet people you join group and create a friends list of those with similar interest.
These days it is one of the quickest and least expensive methods to find your customer and help your business grow. It is one of the simplest and cost-effective methods to promote your business. A good social networking presence can help you perform inexpensive market research, create public relations campaigns and gain a better understanding of your marketplace. This type of promotion also can be fun because social networks enhance casual and friendly connections with people who share your passions. Here’s how to use social networking sites to help your business grow.
1) Sign up for accounts at social networking sites
Whenever you think to promote your business on social networking site, the very first step is to register yourself on any social networking website. It is the best way to promote your business, but you can’t depend on any one website. Register yourself on multiple websites which will help you to expand your business so that you can reach to millions of web users and can increase your customer base. You can register with various sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and complete your online profile for each site you join.
2) Know your customer
You must decide what type of customers you are going to focus on and link with them. Most of these sites allow you to browse user profiles and send friend requests. Check out the people and groups who have similar interest that relate to your business and add them to your group of friends. Once you have gathered these people you can communicate with them within the network openly and via private messages.
3) Share information about your company
Once you have joined the social networking site, create a web page on any of the sites such as Facebook or MySpace where you can introduce yourself and your business in which you can include a description of your products or services. Make sure to involve a way for customers to get in touch with you. This can be an email Id, phone no or even a physical address.
4) Create your online presence across the Internet
Keep your social networking profile active. The most prominent way to use your social networking site to promote your business is to remain active. Post regular updates about your products or services to your prominent customers on a regular basis. Initiate your relationship with customers by interacting and ask questions. Your active presence will attract interest from other users and maintain a continuous flow of fresh content which can tempt search engine attention and increase your page rank.
5) Look what customers says about your products
You can measure customer interest by publishing news about your company and can track how many people in your social group give their acceptance to that statement. Most networking sites have systematic recourses available to customers that show them how many times their interactions were shared with others. Some applications such as Klout.com or TweetReach.com can figure out total research from all social networking communities where you have accounts.
6) Obtain positive customer comments
Whenever customer says good things about your company, they are often satisfied to allow you to reprinting their reviews elsewhere in your marketing strategies. Always ask your pleased clients if you can share their reviews with others.
7) Look at the competition, vendors and related professional activity
Always monitor the use of search phrases and activities appropriate to your business can notify you about market news and product improvements. Google gives a facility called as a “Alert” tool in user account that will notify you whenever your recommended key word is used by a website or person. For example, if you sign up for an alert for “ABC Company,” you will be informed each time someone refers to it in a short article, paper article, or community conversation.
Conclusion
Social Networking helps you to connect with a world of potential customers. It is free and can be used as one of the best ways to keep you and your company alive in a market. By using these social networking websites effectively you can develop a potential customer base for your business.